Can-filling machine.



L. A. BAKER.

GAN FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JANA, 191s.

1,105,173, Patented July 28,1914.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

@ZW p MLQML L. A. BAKER.

CAN FILLING MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 11111.4,1913.

1,105,173. Patented July 28, 1911 4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

L. A. BAKER. CAN FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JANA, 1913.

Patented July 28, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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LEWIS A. 33 05 ELGIN, ELLEN-01S- onn-rrnnmc MACHINE.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

racemes July as, 1914.

Application filed January 4, 1913. Serial No. 740,151.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, LEWIS A. BAKER, a

tion thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for filling cans orother receptacles with liquid or semi-liquid material, and refers morespecifically to that type of machines wherein the receptacles are filledfrom a plurality of measuring chambers which supply liquid from acentral tank.

Among the objects of the invention is to improve and simplify machinesof this character and reduce the, cost thereof.

A further object-of the invention isto improve and simplify theconstruction of the valves which control the flow of material from thecentral reservoir to the measuring chambers and from the measuringchambers to the receptacles below.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :'F igure 1 is a side elevation of a filling machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section thereof taken on the line2'-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig.4 isahorizontal sect-ion showing in top plan the cam for lifting thereceptacles into their filling positions and for opening the measuringchamber discharge valves. Fig. 5 isa vertical section taken through oneof'the, measuring chambers and its associated valve mechanism. Fig. 6 isa section taken through said parts in a different plane, with partsomitted. Fig. 7 is a detail of thecam and cooperating mechanism foroperating the inlet.valve to the measuring chamber. Fig. 8 is, a topplan view of a fitting in which is formed the measuring chamber inletand outlet passages.-

For the sake of clearness of-illustration the mechanisnifor feeding thecans "to and discharging them from the machine has been omitted.

The frame" of the machine consists of a portion and a top member 13.Said posts may and preferably will be made of piping. As herein shownthere are three posts 12 arranged in triangular relation and the toptical posts 12, 12 which rise from the base member 13 and base each havethree arms which are provided at their ends with sockets to receive theends of the posts.

14 designates a central vertical shaft that is rotatively mounted at itslower end in a step bearing 15 formed in the base 10 and at its upperend in a bearing 16 carried by the upper frame member 13. Said shaft isrotated through the medium of a worm Wheel 17 and a Worm 18 thatis fixedto a short horizontal shaft 19 which extends tothe side of the base andis driving pulley 20.

22 designates an open topped tank or reservoir which is supported on'theshaft l t to. rotate therewith. As herein shown said tank is providedwith a central vertical shell provided with a .23 which extends throughthe bottom wall 24 of the tank and is flanged at its lower end and issecured to the bottom wall by the bolts 25. The said shell is locked tothe shaft by means of a spline 26 which permits the tank to be raisedand lowered relatively to the shaft. The means herein shown for soraising and lowering the tank consists of a screw-threaded sleeve 27which loosely surrounds the shaft 15 and turns thereon and is providedwith an exterior screw-thread to engage an interior screw-thread in theshell 23. Said sleeve 27 engages at its lower ends a shoulder 28 on theshaft 14 and it is provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 29 whichbears against the central'portion of the upper frame member 13. Thesleeve is thus held from endwise movement between the shoulder andtheframe so that when it is turned-the tank is either raised or lowered onthe shaft, depending upon the direction of rotation of the adjustingsleeve.

30, 3O designates a plurality of measuring chambers, sixbeing hereinshown. They are arranged in a circular, angularly spaced series withinthe tank, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The detail of said measuringchambers is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Each chamber comprises a hollowbody or tube section 31 provided at its upper end with a centrallyapertured cap 32 and at its lower end with an internally s crew-threadedreducer sleeve 33 which receives an externally screwthreaded outletnipple 34 lot) through which material is directed to a can below.Opening into said outlet nipple is a hollow branch 35 that leads fromthe tank 22 so as to deliver material from the tank to the measuringchamber. -Said branch is made integral with the nipple 34 and isprovided-with an upturned portion 36 that extends through the lower wall24 of the tank, and opens into the tank flush with the level of theupper face of said wall. The said nipple 34 and branch 35 being thusmade of a single piece is of considerable practical importance in themanufacture of the machine, inasmuch as it greatly simplifies theconnection between the tank and the charge measuring chambers, and alsoenables the parts tobe very simply attached to the tank andthe chargemeasurin chambers. For the purpose of such attac ment the fitting,embracing the nipple 34 and branch 35, is provided with flanges. or lugs38 which fit against the lower side of the bottom wall of the tank andscrews 39 extend through said lugs and into the tank bottom to fastenthem in place. When thus constructed, the fittin s constitute means tohold the measuring 0 ambers rigidly to the tank structure. Thisconstruction alsoenables the chambers to be readily removed from andassembled in the tank, thus providing a device which is easily cleanedand repaired.

40 designates a carrier plate beneath the tank which is sleeved at 41 toembrace the shaft 14, and may be fitted to the shaft in any suitablemanner, as by the pin 42 whereby the carrier plate rotates with-theshaft and tank. 44, 44 designate, a plurality of ga e plates uponwhichthe recepta-- cles A to e filled are delivered. Said gage plates aremounted on the upper ends ofvertically movable lift rods 45 which extenddownwardly through guide sleeves 46 that depend from the carrier plate,and said lift rods are provided at their lower ends with hearing rollers47 which ride on the upper edge of an annular cam "rin 48. that issupported from the base throu the medium of 1 the standards 49. Theliftrods are provided vat their upper ends with lateral ex= tensions havingvertical guide lugs 50 which engage suitable openings in the carrierplate.

to hold the gage plates in position. Preferably, the rim of the carrierplateis turned upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, to constitute a pan toreceive material which may find its way thereto from the measuringchambers.

The filling ni ple of each measuring chamber is provi ed at its lowerend with a conical valve seat 55 (Figs. 5. and 6) which is engaged by aconical'valve piece 56 carried? by the lower end/of arod 57 whichextends upwardly through the cap 32 of the measurin chamber for.connection at its up per end with mechanism to actuate the valve.

3 Surrounding said valve stem and extending also through the cap 32 is avent tube 59 which extends at its lower end a distance into themeasuring chamber and at its upper end above the maximum liquid level inthe provided with an exterior graduated scale to be read from the upperedge of the cap piebce 32 to facilitate the adjustment of the tu e.adapted to be lifted at appropriate times in the rotation of the tankand the series of measuring chambers so as to permit the material, whichhas been supplied to the ch'ambers, to flow therefrom into thereceptacle; beneath. The means herein shown for thus actuating theoutlet or discharge valves are a made as follows Each of said valvestems is provided at its upper end with a head 60 to form a downwardlyfacing shoulder on the stem. 61 esignates an arm that bears at its innerend against the under side of the head 60 and is carried at its outerend by a collar 62 which is fixed to the upper end of a verticallymovable lift bar 63 that is guided in suitable bearings 64, 65 carriedby the wall of the tank. The said lift bar is provided at its lower endwith an inwardly directed member 66 which extends inwardly beneath theadjacent outlet nipple 34, and may be forked at its inner end so as toclear said nipple. The said member 66 and the lift bar are raised byengagement therewith of the upper ends of the receptacles A when thelatter are raised into their filling positions, as clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 5. The said receptaclesare thus'raised into their fillingpositions at appropriate periods in the rotation of the carrier plate40by means of the cam 48 and are lowered away from the nipples in anotherpart of the rotative movement of the carrier,

As shown in Fig. 4, the part a of the cam 48 is the high portionthereof, and the part a the low portion of the cam, and the partschamber to suit The said valve stem and valve are a a are the rising'andlowering portions of i valve seat in the upturned end 36 of the saidbranch passage. Said valve 70 is cairied by the lower end of a valvestem 71 which rises upwardly through the tank. The said stem 71 isprovided at its upper end with a head 7 3 adapted for engagement bysuitable valve actuating mechanism. The valve actuating mechanism hereinshown is made as follows: 74: designates a short horizontal rock shaftarranged adjacent to each measuring chamber and radially to the centerof the tank. The rock shaft is mounted in a bearing 7 5 that is attachedto the wall of the tank. Each rock shaft is provided at its inner endwitha crank arm 76 which is bifurcated to engage underthe head 73 on thevalve stem. Each rock shaft is also provided at its outer end with acrank arm 78 arranged radially outside of the wall of the tank, and saidlatter crank arm is provided with a bearing roller 79 that is adapted toengage a curved cam bar 80 which is arranged radially exterior to thetank wall and is concentric to the axis of rotation of the tank. Thesaid cam bar is carried b the frame, as by means of the sleeves 81-whlch surround the posts 12 and have inward projections 82, indicated indotted lines in Fig-'3, to which the cam bar is attached. The saidsleeves 8l may be I attached to the posts 12 by set screws 85, t-herebypermitting the cam bar to be raised and lowered to correspond to thevertical v tank, and valves for controlling said nipple From acomparisonof Figs. 3 and 4', it; will be noted that the cam bar 80 is arrangedlower i cam ring 48. With this arrangement, it will adjustment of thetank.

above the depressed portion a of the be noted that the filling valvesfor the measurin chambers are closed during the, time the ischargevalves 56 are'opened, and vice versa. The low portion a of the cam ring4:8v is located at that part of the machine at which the receptacles Aare delivered to and taken from the machine. As soon as a receptacle Ais delivered to the machine it is raised by the cooperation of the cam48 and rising bar 45 into its filling position and thereby opens thedischarge valve 5(rso that the, material-"may be discharged from themeasuring chamber to the receptacle. Theperiod of filling the receptacleis more than one-half of the rotation of the machine. The inlet valves70 are raised and the material delivered from the tank to the measuringchambers during the time the filled receptacles are bein removed fromthe machine and others de ivered theret0,'the period being somewhat'less than one-half of the rotation of the machine.

The quantity of material delivered to the measuring chambers isdetermined by the adjustment of the vent tube 59, inasmuch as thematerial will not rise higher in said chambers than the level of thelower ends of the vent tubes. As before stated, this quantity may bevaried by adjusting the vent tubes vertically in the chambers. By reasonof the annular space betweenthe vent tubes and the inclosed valve stems57, air'is admitted therethrough to vent the chambers when the dischargevalves are opened.

I claim as my invention:

1. A can filling machine, comprising in combination, a tank provided inits bottom wall with an opening, a measuring chamber in line with saidopening, a gravity dis-' charge nipple fixed to the bottom of the tankand extending upwardly through said opening, to which the lower end ofthe chamber is detachably fixed, a branch passage connected to thenipple below the tank and leading upwardly through the tank bottom andin open communication with the tank,

and valves for controlling said nipple and branch passage.

2. A can filling machine comprising, in combination, a tank provided inits bottom wall with an opening, a measuring chamber, a gravitydischarge nipple therefor extending through the said opening andscrewthreaded to the lower end of the chamber and flanged tb bearagainst the lower side of the tank bottom, screws extending through theflanges and into the tank bottom, an integral hollow branch'connected tosaid nipple below the tank and having an upturned end whichextendsthrough the bottom of the and branch.

3; The combination with a tank, provided in its" bottom with an opening,of a chamber'having a screw-thread at its bottom, a screw-threaded,flanged nipple extending through said opening. and engaging thescrew-thread of the. chamber, and a hollow branch connected below saidbottom to said nipple and extending through the tankbottom.

4. The combination with the supply tankof a filling machine and ameasuring chamber, of a one-piece gravity discharge nipple and a fillingbranch therefor connected to the tank and to said chamber, a valve atthe discharge end of the filling nlpple and a valve at the receiving endof the filling branch. 4

5. The combination with the supply tank of a filling machine and ameasuring cham ber, of a one-piece gravity discharge nipple and fillingbranch connected to the tank and chamber, screw-threaded means on thechamber and nipple constructed to the chamber to the tank bottom, thefilling branch being in open communication with the tank and connectedto the nipple below the level of the bottom wall, and valves controlhngsaid nipple and branch.

6.-A one-piece discharge nipple and fill-' ing attachment for themeasuring chambers of filling machines having means to detachably fix itto the chamber, the nipple com-' prising a vertical tubular memberhaving an internal valve seat at its lower end, and the tilllngattachment comprising a lateral hollow branch having an upturned end toextend tnrough the bottom wall of the supply tank or reservoir andprovided with an internal valve seat. a

7. A one-piece gravity discharge nipple and filling attachment for themeasuring chambers of filling machines, the nipple having a screw-threadand a flange, and the filling attachment comprising a laterally disposedhollow branch having an upturned receiving end to enter an opening inthe bottom of the tank, said nipple and branch being formed to provideinternal-valve seats.

8. In a can filling machine, a tank, a series of measuring chambers,provided with gravity discharge nipples communicating with the bottomsof the chambers, filling branch passages connected to the nipples belowthe tank bottom and leading up wardly through the tank bottom and incommunication with the interior of the tank bers, valves for controllingthe flow of liquid to and valves for discharging the liquid from saidchambers, and actuating mechanism for the former valves comprising a cambar radially exterior to the tank, with means for supporting andvertically adjusting said cam bar on said posts.

10. In a can filling machine, the combination with a tank, a measuringchamber having a valve controlled outlet and provided with an inletpassage and a valve controlling the inlet passage provided with a stemwhich extends upwardly through and beyond the tank, of means foroperating said valve comprising a rock shaft which is mounted in abearing carried by the tank, a crank thereon engaging said valve stemand a second crank on said rock shaft adapted for engagement by anyactuating device.

11. In a can filling machine, the combination with arotative tank .andmeasuring chambers therein, of valve means for controlling the inlet ofmaterial to and its discharge from the chambers, with means forpresenting the cans to and withdrawing them from the discharge ends ofsaid chambers, the chamber-inlet valve means comprising lift valves',rock shafts mounted on the tank, crank arms at their inner ends forconnection with the chamber inlet valves, other crank arms at theirouter ends and a fixed cam member adapted to engage 'said latter crankarms. I g

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses, this 21st day of December,A. D. 1912.

' LEWIS A. BAKER.

lVitnesses:

